American Samoa Fisheries Task Force (ASFTF) chairman Solip Hong has responded to what he calls “negative comments” by J. Douglas Hines, partner and owner of two U.S. companies which own and manage 14 US purse seiner vessels.

“I am guessing that Mr. Hines does not have the leisure of worrying about a cannery on a small island and the people who will suffer through economic hardship should its main source of commerce depart its territory,” Solip wrote in an Aug. 7 letter to NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Island Regional Office in Honolulu.

Hines, partner and owner of Ocean Global LLC and Sea Global LLC, had written to the NMFS regional administrator, objecting to Tri Marine’s petition for an emergency exemption that asks that US purse seiner vessels which offload at least 50% of their catch at the local canneries be allowed to fish in the US EZZ and on the high seas. (See Samoa News edition on Aug. 7 and 10 for details.)

In his letter Solip made it clear that the Tri Marine petition is a product of ASFTF, which was concerned that the American Samoa tuna industry would not be able to survive without fish supply from the locally based fleet.

He said the task force knew that the American Samoa fleet had historically depended on fishing in the high seas and without continued access to these fishing grounds, the boats would have to relocate their operations elsewhere.

“Some vessels are already taking steps in this direction,” he said, adding that Tri Marine did the task force a favor by submitting the petition for exemption. He also said that he has “read with interest” the “negative comments” submitted by Hines, who represents purse seiners that are not based in American Samoa.

He says Hines’ fleet chooses to transship their catch near where they fish instead of basing their operations at a port where there is a cannery. “Apparently, the economics of that operating methodology work better for his boats than the alternative means of fishing out of American Samoa,” he wrote.

Hines “doesn't seem to recognize the relation between the fishing boats of American Samoa and the economic dependency of these boats on the American Samoa tuna canneries,” Solip said, adding that everyone is free to make choices as to how they operate their business.

According to the ASFTF chairman, boats can transship or be based in American Samoa and to be based in the territory implies higher operating costs and less catch on an annual basis “because the boat spends most of its time waiting for a spot at the canneries to unload, or traveling to and from the fishing grounds.”

Additionally, this practice poses higher insurance costs as they have more exposure to claims under the federal Jones Act as well as inspections and enforcement actions by the U.S. Coast Guard.

“I can see why Mr. Hines chooses to operate his boats independently of any port. They spend less time in port and less time transiting,” he said. “They have more time on the fishing grounds and they could care less where those fishing grounds are.”

“I would not be surprised if they catch twice as many fish in a year compared to our locally based boats. It is obvious who of the two are more conservative when it comes to fish stocks,” he said.

Solip went on to explain that the Task Force does not support, nor does the petition initiated by the Task Force and submitted by Tri Marine require, any contracts or delivery commitments to the canneries. He explained that “unloading” in American Samoa — as cited in the petition — can be transshipped to a reefer carrier sitting at anchor in the harbor.

“So it’s not true that Mr. Hines doesn’t have a market in American Samoa,” Solip said. “He can arrange a carrier and have his boats unload here. And while his boats are in American Samoa, they can support our economy by buying fuel, taking provisions, doing repairs, and eating at restaurants.”

He pointed out that boats based in American Samoa supply over 90% of the purse seine tuna requirements for the canneries. He acknowledged as “true” the comments by Hines that Dongwon — the South Korean based owner of StarKist — supplies raw materials to StarKist and those boats are not based in American Samoa.

However, Solip said supply to American Samoa by Dongwon “is insignificant”. He cited Port Administration records, which show that there have been 240 calls into the port of Pago Pago by purse seiners during the 17 month period of January 2014 to May this year.

Solip said that just 10 of those calls — or 4.2% — were by Dongwon owned vessels while 199 of those calls — or 82.9% — were by 18 other boats. (The letter identified each boat by name.)

Hines said in his letter of opposition that American Samoa is not considered a Small Island Development (SID), and cited his reasons, including the fact that the United Nations list of SIDs does not include American Samoa.

“This is irrelevant,” Solip said of Hines citing the UN list of SIDs worldwide.

“What matters is the status of American Samoa with respect to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, its Convention and management measures,” he said.

Additionally, American Samoa, a U.S Territory, has been deemed by the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean as a SID for purposes of applying conservation and management measures for highly migratory tuna species in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

Solip said the ASFTF disagrees with comments by Hines, whose boats are not based in American Samoa — “boats that have a different modus operandi (or method of operation) and boats that have no connection with American Samoa.”

“In fact, he [Hines] is a competitor to the American Samoa purse seine tuna fishery,” he concluded.